No it doesn’t. You are just wrong. “Ground Zero”, by definition, is the large 4-block-sized space where the Twin Towers stood. You can see it on this map; it’s the space between Fulton and Liberty, on the other Trinity Place.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=ground%20zero%20mosque%20location&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl
That is where you can still see the footprints of the Twin Towers. There is a Memorial there. The hoarding still line the sidewalks so passersby won’t fall in the hole.
THAT is Ground Zero. That has always been Ground Zero. If you were a New Yorker, or knew anything about the place where this occured, or had ever had it actually be a meaningful place where you’d done business, met with people, ate dinner, or just enjoyed the view from the top of.. if you had ever had those Towers be a part of your life, somone who still looked for them every time they approached New York City - you would know JUST where Ground Zero is.
Perhaps the other buildings at the 16-acre Trade Center might be arguably part of Ground Zero, as they were considered part of the Complex and were destroyed that day(4, 5, 6), but aren’t considered Ground Zero. After all, the Marriott is in the complex, and it is *still* open. It’s not Ground Zero.
Some former clothing warehouse more than 4 block lengths away, no matter what fell onto it, will never be Ground Zero. Only the Twin Towers are truly Ground Zero, because that is where the people died.
As Wikipedia has captured the commonly -accepted definition:
“In and around New York City, “Ground Zero” is generally understood to mean the site of the World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. The phrase was being applied to the World Trade Center site within hours after the towers collapsed. The adoption of this term by the mainstream North American media with reference to the September 11th attacks began as early as 7:47 p.m. (EDT) on that day, when CBS News reporter Jim Axelrod said,
“ Less than four miles behind me is where the Twin Towers stood this morning. But not tonight. Ground Zero, as it’s being described, in today’s terrorist attacks that have sent aftershocks rippling across the country.[5] ”
Rescue workers also used the phrase “The Pile”, referring to the pile of rubble that was left after the buildings collapse.”
As a number of NY/NJ/CT Freepers can tell you, I have done and experienced the things you mention. I used to work on Broadway near Wall St. and commuted through the WTC via the PATH train from New Jersey. I even went to a corporate Christmas party at Windows on the World. All of that has nothing to do with a definition of where Ground Zero is. (I was working in Manhattan, in midtown, on 9/11. I commuted to work on NJ Transit into NY Penn Station and always looked for the twin towers as I was riding in to work to get my bearings. For weeks, if not months, I couldn't believe what I saw, or didn't see. The clouds of smoke where the towers used to be were hard to bear. So, you might not want to assume what I know or don't know before ranting.)
Let's look at the definition you have provided from Wikipedia:
In and around New York City, “Ground Zero” is generally understood to mean the site of the World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks.The building at 51 Park Pl. WAS destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. It doesn't get much simpler than that. Also, there is no need to exaggerate by saying "4 block lengths". Any map shows that Park Place is only two N/S blocks (which are much shorter that the E/W blocks) away from the immediate perimeter of the WTC. I have not seen any news reports that have said it is four blocks away. Do you have a citation? Had the towers fallen sideways, it would have been well within the potential quarter mile radius. Would you still define Ground Zero as the area between Vesey St., Liberty St., Church St./Trinity Pl. and West St. if the towers had not fallen straight down?
Let's look at earlier quote from Wikipedia:
The term [ground zero] has often been associated with nuclear explosions and other large bombs, but is also used in relation to earthquakes, epidemics and other disasters to mark the point of the most severe damage or destruction.51 Park Place certainly meets this definition. It was damaged beyond repair by a part or parts of one of the airplanes on September 11, 2001. Many buildings in the area were not damaged at all. They are not part of Ground Zero.
We have a difference of opinion. The definition of Ground Zero that I use is somewhat broader than the definition you use. I suggest that we agree to disagree on this point.